Vehicle passenger safety devices

ABSTRACT

A vehicle passenger safety device for use on vehicles such as airplanes and automobiles. In each embodiment of the invention, the device includes a seat strap assembly and a body strap assembly that are attached to a back-support portion. The seat strap assembly is adapted to secure the device onto the back-support of the existing vehicle seat. The seat strap assembly, which may include one or both of a horizontal strap and a strap web, rests over the vehicle seat. The body strap assembly is adapted to secure a passenger on the device. The body strap assembly includes a body strap or a crotch strap, or both. The body strap may be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. The device further includes at least one loop to receive the existing seat belt to secure the device. The loop may be part of the back-support portion or the body strap assembly.

This is a continuation application that claims the benefit of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 10/615,299 filed Jul. 9, 2003, now abandon,which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/096,914, filed Mar. 14, 2002 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,616,242), which isa continuation-in-part of application of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 09/643,868, filed Aug. 23, 2000 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,251), eachof the three referenced parent applications is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to vehicular safety devices andmore specifically to passenger safety devices for use on vehicles suchas airplanes and automobiles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has reported that theuse of seat belts on airplanes has reduced injuries and saved livesduring air turbulence and air crashes. The utility of airplane seatbelts has prompted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) topromulgate rules requiring all airlines to provide seat belts to theirpassengers. However, despite the FAA regulations, not every airplanepassenger receives the full protection of a seat belt. For example,children under 40 pounds do not receive the full benefit from seat beltsthat are designed for adults. As there is no federal regulationrequiring the provision of seat belts specifically designed for childrenlighter than 40 pounds, airlines do not provide them. This inequity toyoung passengers is aggravated by the fact that airlines often requirechildren over the age of two to buy a ticket without affording theseyoung travelers the same protection other passengers receive

Until the law requires the use of airplane child safety devices,children will continue to suffer from injuries, sometimes fatalinjuries, during air turbulence or air crashes. The current practice ofadults holding on to children is simply inadequate. The NTSB hasreported numerous instances in which children held by an adult duringair turbulence or air crashes suffer from severe injuries, includingfatal injuries. The NTSB has also reported that child safety beltscurrently used in a limited number of smaller airplanes have saved thelives of young passengers.

Taking the initiative to provide adequate protection to their children,some parents have attempted to use car seats in airplanes. Currently,only six car seats manufactured in the United States comply with FAAstandards for use in airplanes. Although some of these car seats fit andbuckle in more easily than others in an airplane, all such car seats areheavy, cumbersome, and awkward to handle. The FAA and the NHTSA(National Highway Transportation Safety Administration) have reportedthat many car seats are not suitable for use in airplanes either becausethey are too wide to fit into the airplane seats or because the rows ofairplane seats are too close together to accommodate them. Parents whouse car seats in airplanes must also haul them through airports, whichoften creates problems at security checks. In the past, some airlineseven prohibited parents from using car seats. As crash safety testresults began to demonstrate the danger of carrying infants in the armsof adults and using ordinary seat belts for toddlers, the FAA passed arule prohibiting airlines from banning car seats on airplanes.Nonetheless, some airlines continue to prohibit their flight attendantsfrom assisting parents with the installation of car seats in airplanes.

Therefore, it is apparent that children lighter than 40 pounds can stillbenefit from the protection of an airplane child safety device as muchas an adult can benefit from the use of a seat belt. However, it appearsthat airlines will continue to be reluctant to provide airplane childsafety devices for at least two reasons. First, existing car seats thatcomply with FAA standards are not user-friendly and their use couldadversely affect flight schedules. Second, the airlines do not have asystem to handle the logistics associated with the provision of the carseats in reservation, delivery, storage, maintenance, andredistribution.

Although each airline uses its own proprietary airline reservationsystem, all airline reservation systems do essentially the same things.All reservation systems reserve a place on an airplane and record a fairamount of information about the passenger such as the passenger's creditcard number, preference for an aisle or window seat, special mealrequest, frequent flyer number, and so on. Passengers who regularly usea particular travel agent often have a travel “profile” thatautomatically downloads when a reservation is made. However, while somedata in the agent's profile is automatically downloaded, the choice of aspecial meal or seat preference must be “clicked in” to the ticketreservation system separately by the travel agent with each reservation.Because no airline is providing airplane child safety devices, thecurrent reservation systems do not record whether a vehicle child safetydevice has been requested.

The level of demand for child safety devices and a system to providethem to air travel passengers would increase if a regulation werepromulgated to require the use of child safety devices on airplanes forchildren lighter than 40 pounds. In addition, the demand for childsafety devices and a system to provide them would increase if airlinesvoluntarily make the devices available as part of a “passenger bill ofrights.” Currently, there is considerable interest in expandingpassenger rights to include “appropriate safe devices” for children.“Forward thinking” airlines might view the provision of airplane childsafety devices as giving them a competitive edge.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a passenger safety device that can be used indifferent vehicles including airplanes and automobiles. A number ofspecific embodiments were previously disclosed in application Ser. No.09/643,868, filed Aug. 23, 2000, the entirety of which is incorporatedherein by reference. The previously disclosed embodiments include: (1) a“soft” vehicle safety device made exclusively of straps and fasteners;(2) a briefcase style folding vehicle safety device; and (3) a vehiclesafety device having a rigid front-support with an inflatable cushion tofill up the space between the passenger and the rigid front-support.

This continuation-in-part application discloses improvements to thepreviously disclosed embodiments and discusses additional embodiments.The new embodiments disclosed herein, like those previously disclosed,improves passenger safety. All embodiments of the present inventionincludes a seat strap assembly adapted to attach the device to thevehicle seat, a body strap assembly adapted to secure the passenger onthe device, and at least one loop adapted to receive the existing seatbelt of the vehicle. The seat strap assembly may include one or both ofa horizontal strap and a strap web. The body strap assembly may includeone or more of a vertical body strap, a diagonal body strap, ahorizontal body strap, and a crotch strap. In some embodiments, the loopmay be part of the back-support portion. Alternatively, a loop may bepart of the body strap assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 a is a schematic diagram of a first embodiment of a vehiclepassenger safety device.

FIG. 1 b is a schematic diagram of the vehicle passenger safety deviceof FIG. 1 a shown in use on an existing vehicle seat.

FIG. 2 a is a schematic diagram of a second embodiment of a vehiclepassenger safety device.

FIG. 2 b is a schematic diagram of the vehicle passenger safety deviceof FIG. 2 a shown in its folded position.

FIG. 2 c is a schematic diagram of the vehicle passenger safety deviceof FIG. 2 a shown in use on an existing vehicle seat.

FIG. 3 a is a schematic diagram of a third embodiment of a vehiclepassenger safety device.

FIG. 3 b is a schematic diagram of the vehicle passenger safety deviceof FIG. 3 a shown in use on an existing vehicle seat.

FIG. 4 a is a schematic diagram of a fourth embodiment of a vehiclepassenger safety device, showing the front and side views of the device.

FIG. 4 b is a schematic diagram of the vehicle passenger safety deviceof FIG. 4 a, showing the side and rear views of the device.

FIG. 4 c is a schematic diagram of the vehicle passenger safety deviceof FIG. 4 a shown in use on an existing vehicle seat.

FIG. 5 a is a schematic diagram of a fifth embodiment of a vehiclepassenger safety device, showing a loop as part of a body strapassembly.

FIG. 5 b is a schematic diagram of the vehicle passenger safety deviceof FIG. 5 a shown in use on an existing vehicle seat.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 a is a schematic diagram of a first embodiment of the presentinvention showing vehicle passenger safety device 100. As shown in FIG.1 a, this embodiment of the present invention comprises a pair ofvertical straps 101 and 102, strap-holding belt 103, and horizontalstrap 104. Vertical strap 101 is attached to horizontal strap 104 atlocations 101 a and 101 b. Similarly, vertical strap 102 is attached tohorizontal strap 104 at locations 102 a and 102 b. Preferably, verticalstraps 101 and 102 are sewn to horizontal strap 104 at locations 101 a,101 b, 102 a, and 102 b. In addition, vertical straps 101 and 102 haveloops 101 c and 102 c, respectively.

Strap-holding belt 103 is attached to vertical strap 101 at location 103b, and to vertical strap 102 at location 103 c. Preferably,strap-holding belt 103 has a fastener 103 a. The preferred fastener is abuckle. Preferably, strap-holding belt 103 is sewn to vertical straps101 and 102 at locations 103 b and 103 c, respectively.

Horizontal strap 104 has a fastener 104 a, such as a buckle, and anadjustable portion 104 b that can be length-adjusted to tightenhorizontal strap 104 around the back-support of an existing vehicle seatsuch as an airplane seat. One or more of vertical straps 101, 102, andstrap holding belt 103 may be considered as the body strap assembly.Horizontal strap 104 may be considered as the seat strap assembly.Preferably, each of vertical straps 101 and 102 is length adjustable andmay be tightened using fasteners. For example, vertical strap 101 may betightened using buckle 101 d and length-adjusted using adjustableportion 101 e. Similarly, vertical strap 102 may be tightened andlength-adjusted by buckle 102 d and length-adjusted using adjustableportion 102 e, respectively. Buckle 101 d maybe located at any positionalong vertical strap 101. Preferably, buckle 101 d is located at aposition between locations 101 a and 101 b. Buckle 102 d may besimilarly located along vertical strap 102.

FIG. 1 b is a schematic diagram of vehicle passenger safety device 100in use on existing airplane seat 10 having seat-pan 11, back-support 12,and seat belt 13. To use vehicle passenger safety device 100 on existingairplane seat 10, a passenger is seated on seat-pan 11. Vertical straps101 and 102 are rested over back-support 12 of existing airplane seat 10so that locations 101 a, 101 b, 102 a, and 102 b are all at about thesame elevation. Horizontal strap 104 is then wrapped around back-support12, above and behind the food tray of airplane seat 10 and above orbehind the passenger's head. Fastener 104 a is then engaged andadjustable portion 104 b is pulled. Vertical straps 101 and 102 are thenplaced over the passenger's shoulders. Seat belt 13 is then fed throughloops 101 c and 102 c of vertical straps 101 and 102, respectively, andseat belt 13 is buckled and tightened. In a preferred embodiment, loops101 c and 102 c can be “sealed” tightly by the use of hook-and-loopfasteners such as Velcro™. Finally, strap-holding belt 103 is secured byengaging a fastener such as buckle 103 a. The first embodiment of thepresent invention is made exclusively of straps and fasteners.

To uninstall vehicle passenger safety device 100, existing airplane seatbelt 13, horizontal strap 104, and strap-holding belt 103 are detached.Existing airplane seat belt 13 is taken out of loops 101 c and 102 c,and the passenger safety device is lifted from back-support 12. Thedevice can then be folded and stored in a small bag or box.

FIG. 2 a is a schematic diagram of a second embodiment of a vehiclepassenger safety device 200 having seat-pan portion 210, back-supportportion 220, and hinge 230 connecting seat-pan portion 210 andback-support portion 220. Seat-pan portion 210 and back-support portion220 preferably have rigid exterior frames and padded interiors. One orboth seat-pan portion 210 and back-support portion 220 may have a rigidskeleton enclosed by padded materials. In addition, back-support portion220 has vertical straps 201 and 202, attached to back-support portion220 at locations 201 a and 202 a, respectively. Horizontal strap 203 isattached, preferably by sewing, to vertical strap 201 at location 201 band to vertical strap 202 at location 202 b. Portions 205 a, 205 b, and205 c are three components of three-way fastener 205. Horizontal strap203 has fastener 203 a, adjustable portion 203 b, and portions ofthree-way fastener 205 b and 205 c. Fasteners 203 a and 205 arepreferably buckles. The first end of crotch strap 204 is secured toseat-pan portion 210 at location 204 a. The second end of crotch strap204 has portion 205 a of three-way fastener 205. Shoulder strap 221 isinstalled on back-support portion 220. Alternatively, shoulder strap 221can be installed on seat-pan portion 210. In addition, as shown in FIG.2 b, there is loop 211 and a pair of legs 212 and 213 under seat-panportion 210. One or more of vertical straps 201, 202, and crotch strap204 may be considered as the body strap assembly. Horizontal strap 203may be considered as the seat strap assembly.

FIG. 2 c is a schematic diagram of vehicle passenger safety device 200shown in use on an existing vehicle seat such as an airplane seat. Toinstall vehicle passenger safety device 200, it is first unfolded asshown in FIG. 2 a. Seat-pan portion 210 is then placed on existingairplane seat-pan 11. Back-support portion 220 is rested againstexisting back-support 12 with shoulder strap 221 hidden in betweenback-support portion 220 and existing back-support 12. Existing airplaneseat belt 13 is then fed through loop 211 under seat-pan portion 210 andfastened. Legs 212 and 213 are then snapped out of seat-pan portion 210to provide an angle as shown in FIG. 2 c. A passenger is then seated onseat-pan portion 210 with the crotch strap 204 in between thepassenger's legs. Vertical straps 201 and 202 are rested over thepassenger's shoulders, and horizontal strap 203 is wrapped around him.Fastener 205 is then engaged. Finally, horizontal strap 203 is fastenedby engaging fastener 203 a and pulling adjustable portion 203 b.

To uninstall, fastener 203 a and fastener 205 are disengaged. Thepassenger is then lifted from seat-pan portion 210. Existing airplaneseat belt 13 is then unbuckled and taken out of loop 211. Legs 212 and213 are snapped back under seat-pan portion 210. Finally, horizontalstrap 203, vertical straps 201 and 202, and crotch strap 204 is placedon seat-pan portion 210. Back-support portion 220 is then folded towardseat-pan portion 210. A hook 240 a fitting into latch 240 b is used tomaintain the vehicle passenger safety device in its folded position.

FIG. 3 a is a schematic diagram of a third embodiment of a vehiclepassenger safety device 300. In this embodiment, vehicle passengersafety device 300 comprises rigid front-support 301, inflatable cushion301 a, pump 301 b, crotch strap 302 having loop 302 a, horizontal strap303, and a pair of cross-straps 304 and 305. Rigid front-support 301 ispreferably made of tough polyurethane or another similar material. Belt306, fastener 306 a, and adjustable portion 306 b are extensions ofrigid front-support 301. Rigid front-support 301 either wraps around theback-support of the vehicle seat or snaps over the arms of the seat.Crotch strap 302 is attached to rigid front-support 301. Cross-straps304 and 305 are attached to horizontal strap 303 at locations 304 a and305 a, and they are attached to rigid front-support at locations 304 band 305 b. In addition, cross-straps 304 and 305 are attached to eachother at location 305 c. Attachments of cross-straps 304 and 305 to eachother and to horizontal strap 303 may be accomplished by sewing. One ormore of cross-straps 304, 305, crotch strap 302, and rigid front-support301 may be considered as the body strap assembly. Horizontal strap 303may be considered as the seat strap assembly.

FIG. 3 b is a schematic diagram of vehicle passenger safety device 300shown in use on an existing vehicle seat such as airplane seat 10 havingan existing airplane seat belt 13. To install the passenger safetydevice 300, horizontal strap 303 is wrapped and tightened aroundexisting back-support 12 of existing airplane seat 10. In a preferredembodiment, horizontal strap 303 is fastened by engaging fastener 303 aand pulling adjustable portion 303 b. Existing seat belt 13 is then fedthrough loop 302 a and fastened. A passenger is then seated as shown inFIG. 3 b between existing back-support 12 and rigid front-support 301with crotch strap 302 between his legs. Cross-straps 304 and 305 arerested over the passenger's shoulders. Rigid front-support 301 is thenfastened using belt 306 around back-support 12. After fastener 306 a isengaged and adjustable portion 306 b is pulled, inflatable cushion 301 ais inflated to fill up the space between the passenger and rigidfront-support 301 by using pump 301 b. Other pumping systems, such ascompressed gas or carbon dioxide cylinders can also be used.

To uninstall, inflatable cushion 301 a is deflated through vent 301 c.Horizontal strap 303 and belt 306 are detached, and the passenger islifted out of seat-pan 11. Existing seat belt 13 is then unbuckled andremoved from loop 302 a. Inflatable cushion 301 a is then folded andstored behind rigid front-support 301.

FIG. 4 a is a schematic diagram of a fourth embodiment of a vehiclepassenger safety device 400. Back-support portion 420 is preferablyconstructed with materials similar to those used for vehicular seats.For example, back-support portion 420 may have a padded interior that isprotected by an upholstery such as cloth, leather, vinyl, or othermaterials. Preferably, back-support portion 420 has a rigid exteriorframe that can provide a strong attachment for a seat strap assembly anda body strap assembly. Alternatively, back-support portion 420 may havea rigid skeleton that serves the same purpose. Back support portion 420may be identical or substantially similar to back-support portion 220described above.

Back-support portion 420 has body straps 401 and 402, attached toback-support portion 420 at locations 401 a and 402 a, respectively.Horizontal strap 403 is part of the seat strap assembly. Horizontalstrap 403 is attached, preferably by sewing, to body strap 401 atlocation 401 b and to body strap 402 at location 402 b. Portions 405 a,405 b, and 405 c are three components of three-way fastener 405.Horizontal strap 403 has fastener 403 a, adjustable portion 403 b, andportions of three-way fastener 405 b and 405 c. Fasteners 403 a and 405are preferably buckles. The first end of crotch strap 404 is secured toback-support portion 420 at location 404 a. The second end of crotchstrap 404 has portion 405 a of three-way fastener 405.

As shown in FIG. 4 b, there are one or more loops 411 that are part ofback-support portion 420. Loops 411 are adapted to receive existing seatbelt 13 of existing airplane seat 10. Loops 411 can be located in manyplaces on back-support portion 420. Preferably, loops 411 are locatednear the bottom part of back-support portion 420. Preferably, loops 411are located on the back side of back-support portion 420, as shown inFIG. 4 b.

In addition to or in lieu of horizontal strap 403, the seat strapassembly of device 400 may be equipped with strap web 430. Strap web 430preferably has one or more vertical members 432 and a horizontal member434. Each of vertical members 432 is preferably secured at locations 432a on back-support portion 420. Horizontal member 434 is preferablysecured at locations 434 a on back-support portion 420. Preferably,vertical members 432 and horizontal member 434 are sewn together suchthat strap web 430 can rest over the existing seat back 12 of seat 10.Preferably, each of vertical members 432 and horizontal member 434 islength adjustable and may be tightened using fasteners. For example,vertical members may be tightened using buckles 432 a andlength-adjusted using adjustable portions 432 b. Similarly, horizontalmember 434 can be tightened using buckle 434 a and length-adjusted usingadjustable portion 434 b.

FIG. 4 c is a schematic diagram of vehicle passenger safety device 400shown in use on an existing vehicle seat such as an airplane seat 10. Toinstall vehicle passenger safety device 400, strap web 430 are fittedaround or over the top of back support 12, buckles 432 a engaged, andadjustable portions 432 b shortened, thereby securing back-supportportion 420 of device 400 to seat 10. Strap web 430 rests over seat 10as shown in FIG. 4 c.

Existing airplane seat belt 13 is then fed through loops 411 behindand/or beneath back-support portion 420 and fastened. A passenger isthen seated on existing seat seat-pan 11 with crotch strap 404 of device400 in between the passenger's legs. Body straps 401 and 402 (members ofthe body strap assembly) are rested over the passenger's shoulders, andhorizontal strap 403 is wrapped around him. Fasteners 405 and 403 a arethen engaged, and adjustable portion 403 b pulled. It is noted thatexisting seat belt 13, instead of being fed through loops 411, may restover the passenger's lap as shown in dotted lines 13 a in FIG. 4 c.

To uninstall, fastener 403 a and fastener 405 are disengaged. Thepassenger is then lifted from seat 10. Existing airplane seat belt 13 isthen unbuckled and taken out of loops 411. Finally, horizontal strap 403and/or strap web 430 is loosened and removed from seat 10.

FIG. 5 a is a schematic diagram of a fifth embodiment of a vehiclepassenger safety device 500. Device 500 has a back-support portion 520that is similar to back-support portion 420 of device 400 as discussedabove. For example, back-support portion 520 may be constructed withmaterials similar to those used for vehicular seats. In addition,back-support portion 520 may preferably have a rigid exterior or a rigidskeleton as discussed above for back-support portion 420.

Back-support portion 520 has body strap assembly 501, which includes oneor more body straps 501 a and 501 b. Body strap assembly 501 is attachedto back-support portion 520. Horizontal strap 503 is part of a seatstrap assembly that is attached to back-support portion 520. Horizontalstrap 503 is utilized to attach device 500 on an existing vehicle seat.Horizontal strap 503 has fastener 503 a, and adjustable portion 503 b.

Crotch strap 504 is part of body strap assembly 501. The first end ofcrotch strap 504 is secured to body strap assembly 501 at location 504a. The second end of crotch strap 504 has loop 511. Loop 511 is adaptedto receive the existing seat belt 13 of existing airplane seat 10.

In addition to or in lieu of horizontal strap 503, the seat strapassembly may include strap web 530, which is shown in FIG. 5 b. Strapweb 530 may be identical or substantially similar to strap web 430 shownin FIG. 4 b. The seat strap assembly (comprising one or more ofhorizontal strap 503 and strap web 530) is adapted to secure theback-support portion 520 on airplane seat 10.

FIG. 5 b is a schematic diagram of vehicle passenger safety device 500shown in use on an existing vehicle seat such as an airplane seat 10. Toinstall vehicle passenger safety device 500, one or both horizontalstrap 503 and web 530 are fitted over the top of back support 12,securing back-support portion 520 of device 500 to seat 10. Horizontalstrap 503 is fastened by engaging fastener 503 a and pulling adjustableportion 503 b. Strap web 530 rests over seat 10 as shown in FIG. 5 b.Although not shown in FIG. 5 b, each vertical and horizontal members ofstrap web 530, like its corresponding member in strap web 430, may havebuckles and adjustable portions that make it length adjustable.

A passenger is then seated on existing seat seat-pan 11. Body strapassembly 501, which includes body straps 501 a and 501 b, are restedover the passenger's shoulders, with crotch strap 504 in between thepassenger's legs. Existing seat belt 13 is then fed through loop 511 andfastened. However, if crutch strap 504 is attached to back-supportportion 520 (see location 404 a in FIG. 4 a), then seat belt 13 may restover the lap of the passenger as indicated by dashed lines 13 a in FIG.5 b. The seat strap assembly is then fastened by, e.g., engagingfastener 503 a and pulling extension 503 b.

To uninstall, seat belt 13 is disengaged and taken out of loop 511. Bodystrap assembly 501 is then lifted off from the passenger. The passengeris then lifted from seat 10. Finally, the seat strap assembly isloosened and removed from seat 10.

It is noted that the horizontal strap 503 may be attached to body strapassembly 501. For example, horizontal strap 503 may have extension 503 c(shown in dashed lines in FIG. 5 b) that is attached to body strapassembly 501 at location 504 a. In that case, location 504 a would be a5-way buckle.

In describing representative embodiments of the invention, thespecification may have presented the method and/or process of theinvention as a particular sequence of steps. However, to the extent thatthe method or process does not rely on the particular order of steps setforth herein, the method or process should not be limited to theparticular sequence of steps described. As one of ordinary skill in theart would appreciate, other sequences of steps may be possible.Therefore, the particular order of the steps set forth in thespecification should not be construed as limitations on the claims. Inaddition, the claims directed to the method and/or process of theinvention should not be limited to the performance of their steps in theorder written, and one skilled in the art can readily appreciate thatthe sequences may be varied and still remain within the spirit and scopeof the invention.

The foregoing disclosure of embodiments illustrating the presentinvention has been presented for purposes of illustration anddescription. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed. Many variations andmodifications of the embodiments described herein will be obvious to oneof ordinary skill in the art in light of the above disclosure. The scopeof the invention is to be defined only by the claims appended hereto,and by their equivalents.

1. A safety device for securing a person on a seat that has aback-support and a seat belt, the device comprising: a horizontal strapconfigured to wrap around the back-support of the seat; two verticalstraps, each having a first end and a second end, wherein each of thefirst ends is attached to the horizontal strap and each of the secondends comprises a loop through which the seat belt is capable of beingfed and fastened above the lap of the person, wherein the verticalstraps are configured to rest over the person's shoulders; and astrap-holding device attached to the vertical straps at a positionsubstantially above the second end of the vertical straps, wherein thestrap-holding device is configured to maintain a predetermined distancebetween the vertical straps.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein each ofthe vertical straps is sewn to the horizontal strap at one or morelocations.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the strap-holding device issewn to the vertical straps.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein each ofthe loops has a hook-and-loop fastener.
 5. The device of claim 1,wherein one or more of the vertical straps are length adjustable.
 6. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein one or more of the strap-holding device andthe horizontal strap are length adjustable.
 7. The device of claim 1,wherein the strap-holding device comprises a fastener.
 8. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the strap-holding device comprises a buckle.
 9. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the strap-holding device comprises a clip.10. The device of claim 1, wherein the strap-holding device is afastener.
 11. The device of claim 1, wherein the seat is a vehicle seatand the seat belt is a lap belt associated with the vehicle seat. 12.The device of claim 11, wherein the vehicle is an airplane.
 13. A safetydevice for integrating with a seat that has a back-support and a seatbelt to secure a person on the seat, the device comprising: an upperportion having a horizontal strap configured to wrap around theback-support of the seat; two vertical straps attached to the upperportion, the vertical straps are configured to extend over the shouldersof the person, the vertical straps comprising a strap-holding deviceattached to the two vertical straps; and a lower portion having at leastone loop and an extension, wherein the at least one loop is configuredto receive the seat belt to secure the safety device to the vehicle seatand the extension is configured to be attached to the horizontal strapand the strap-holding device.
 14. The device of claim 13, wherein theseat is a vehicle seat and the seat belt is a lap belt associated withthe vehicle seat.
 15. The device of claim 14, wherein the vehicle is anairplane.
 16. A safety device for integrating with a seat that has aback-support and a seat belt to secure a person to the seat, the devicecomprising: an upper portion having a horizontal strap configured towrap around the back-support of the seat; a middle portion extendingdownwardly from the upper portion having two vertical straps and astrap-holding device, the strap-holding device is configured toreleasably connect the vertical straps, wherein the vertical straps areextending downwardly from and attached to the horizontal strap and thestrap-holding device is attached along the two vertical straps; and alower portion attached to a bottom end of the vertical straps and havingat least one loop, wherein the at least one loop is configured toreceive the seat belt to secure the device to the seat.
 17. The deviceof claim 16, wherein the seat is a vehicle seat and the seat belt is alap belt associated with the vehicle seat.
 18. The device of claim 17,wherein the vehicle is an airplane.
 19. The device of claim 18, whereinthe strap-holding device is length adjustable.
 20. The device of claim16, wherein the strap-holding device comprises one or more of a clip, abuckle, and a fastener.